Death Valley showcases its ‘Star Wars’ filming history on ‘May the 4th’
(KTLA) – Fans looking to celebrate all things Star Wars this May the 4th won’t have to travel lightyears away; several iconic scenes were filmed in a place much closer to home: Death Valley National Park.
In a recent Instagram post, the park highlighted its Hollywood history, noting that it has served as the backdrop for numerous productions over the decades, including Star Wars. For the uninitiated, “May the 4th” is a nod to a classic farewell blessing repeated in the movies: “May the force be with you.”
Here are some locations fans might recognize.
The Twenty-mule Team Canyon is home to the lair of notorious galactic crime lord Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine. (Death Valley National Park)
The Twenty-mule Team Canyon is home to the lair of galactic crime lord Jabba the Hutt on Tatooine. In “Return of the Jedi,” R2-D2 and C-3PO made their way through this part of the real-world park on a mission to rescue Han Solo.
Dantes View overlook, seen April 23, 2006, is one of the most popular views of Death Valley. Salt deposits from a long-ago lake form a white crust on the valley floor. The park abounds in famed Gold Rush-era mines and ghost towns. (AP Photo/Rita Beamish)
Dantes View, considered one of the park’s best scenic vistas, was the setting for some sage advice between Old Ben Kenobi and a young Luke Skywalker. It appears in “A New Hope” as the two look down on the Tatooine spaceport of Mos Eisley.
Fans can see the rainbow hills when R2-D2 explores the desert canyon before getting captured by the scavenging Jawas. (Death Valley)
Artists Palette was featured in “A New Hope.” Fans can see the rainbow hills when R2-D2 explores the desert canyon before getting captured by the scavenging Jawas.
Death Valley, located near California’s border with Nevada, is known for its extreme conditions. It’s the hottest, driest and lowest national park in the United States.
The park notes that the movies were shot “a few decades ago, when that type of filming was permitted.” Today, most commercial filming in wilderness areas is prohibited.
The park encourages visitors to explore these “otherworldly landscapes” for themselves. A self-guided “Star Wars Film Locations Tour” is available in the official National Park Service app.
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